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Friday, August 8, 2014

Earlier this week, 7th Virginia Congressional District Republican nominee Dave Brat, the Tea Partier who stunningly defeated Rep. Eric Can'tor in the June 10 primary, joined one of the most extreme, bigoted, theocratic people in America for a friendly little chat. That would be our old pal E.W. Jackson, the 2013 Republican Party of Virginia nominee for Lt. Governor who quickly became infamous for comments like these (note: this is just a VERY small sampling; there are hundreds more):*"The 'homosexual religion' is the most virulent anti-Christian bigotry & hatred I've ever seen."*"The homosexual movement is a cancer attacking vital organs of faith, family & military - repositories of traditional values.""I do not believe Obama is the anti-Christ. But "Christians" who follow Obama would probably follow the Anti-Christ. Are they Christians?"*"The Ku Klux Klan did not do nearly as much to destroy black life as Planned Parenthood has done."*"Liberalism and their ideas have done more to kill black folks who they claim so much to love than the Ku Klux Klan and lynchings and slavery and Jim Crow ever did, now that's a fact."*"Homosexuality is a horrible sin, it poisons culture, it destroys families, it destroys societies, their minds are perverted, they are frankly very sick people psychologically and mentally and emotionally"*"The Democrat Party has become the godless, anti-Christian, anti-faith, anti-Bible, anti-family, anti-life party."*"What we're facing right now is a situation where slowly but surely Sharia law is creeping and it's crazy. And that's where I think this president, given his druthers, would like to see us go."*Yoga and meditation lead "Satan...to invade the empty vacuum of your soul and possess it.
The slime and insanity goes on and on. As I said, this guy's one of the most extreme, crazy, hate-filled, theocratic bigots in America today. Yet for some reason, Dave Brat was happy to join him the other day for a chat. Among other things, Jackson and Brat gushed over each other, with Jackson praising Brat's victory ("my wife and I just absolutely rejoiced"), and how "elated" he is that "godly man" Brat will have "the courage to stand up for the foundational principles of this nation without equivocation and without apology and without compromise." Given what Jackson thinks those "foundational principles" are (hint: the polar opposite of what they actually are), this one deserves a ice-cold shuddderrr. The question, though, is whether Brat agrees with Jackson. And based on this call, it sure sounds like it.
One indication: Brat doesn't express disagreement with Jackson on anything (when he ought to be condemning Jackson's divisive, disgusting views). Another indication: Brat heaps praise on Jackson, about whom Brat says:

I couldn't be more proud to be on your show today with you Bishop Jackson, because your life story has just been...is rejuvenating and full of life as the campaign we're trying to run right now. You've been an inspiration to me, to the country. We all know it comes from your faith, and that gives you an energy that we all admire and I'm proud to be on your show today...

Brat also agrees with Jackson on the insane, 100% false proposition that "as soon as you mention ethics or god...of course you take flack for that...we love our enemies." In reality, of course, almost nobody I've ever talked to has a problem with candidates speaking about their ethics or faith, per se. What many of us DO have a problem with, and a big one at that, is people twisting and hiding behind their religious beliefs to justify the type of hateful - homophobic, racist, whatever - comments (and policies) Jackson makes/advocates for repeatedly, and the theocratic vision of America they espouse. That's something many of us find frightening, antithetical to our constitution and pluralistic system, and highly troubling.By the way, I find it fascinating that Jackson cuts off the audio before the listener questions, which indicates to me that something went on there that Brat and/or Jackson thought might be harmful to Brat (e.g., he expressed the types of views in the types of ways that Jackson does?).
Anyway, I hope that now this audio is out, that the Jack Trammell campaign - which has been strangely quiet for weeks now (failing to capitalize on the tremendous attention he got after Brat's upset win, not building his social media following, etc.), and has yet to lay a glove on Dave Brat for whatever reason - uses this material to "out" Brat as the far-right extremist he clearly is. Brat certainly deserves it, as he would be a disaster for his district, his state and his country in Congress.

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Welcome to Blue Virginia!

The purpose of Blue Virginia is to cover Virginia politics from a progressive and Democratic perspective. This is a group blog, founded by me (Lowell Feld), but now including several other progressive writers. I can't speak for the other "front pagers," but I consider myself a progressive in the tradition of Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, JFK, RFK and actually a bunch of progressive Republicans (e.g., Jacob Javits, Lowell Weicker). As such, I believe in expanding opportunities to all, utilizing government as a tool to promote the general welfare and the common good, protecting the environment for ourselves and for future generations, and expanding the rights promised in our Constitution and Bill of Rights to all Americans.

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